ferky1

Sorry for the potentially obscene subject line, I couldn't resist. Our problem actually has to do with Miles' ability (or lack thereof) to get up and down from our bed. Just recently we allowed Miles to sleep with us in our bed and we all really enjoy it. His small size means that we hardly notice he is there, but it also means that he cannot get on or off the bed without help. Normally when Miles wants to get down, he'll sit at the edge (or one of the sides), pawing, pretending, even preparing to jump, but he never does it because the bed is pretty high up. He has never made a move when we were sleeping. Last night, for the first time since we started allowing him on the bed, he decided to seek a more comfortable sleeping spot elsewhere. He jumped. . . at 3:30am. While he didn't hurt himself (luckily), the sound of an 11 pound ball of fur hitting the carpet at terminal velocity at, did I mention, 3:30am, is something we don't wish to repeat. We are looking for alternate methods to give him the freedom to come and go as he pleases. The only thing I have found so far is carpeted cat steps from Drs. Foster and Smith. While these look ideal, they are clearly for cats (catnip infused stairs!!!!!). Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Miles has lost his taste for Wellness and we are thinking about changing foods. We know that he isn't sick because his is incredibly active, loves all kinds of treats and gives us the sad eyes when we are eating because he wants our food very badly. We've tried both the chicken and lamb/rice foods (the fish and potato smell is too much for the wife). It's just that he doesn't seem to like any Wellness anymore. It's as though he eats just enough to survive, but he really doesn't enjoy it and he may have even lost a pound or two (not good for an 11 pound, 7 month old puppy). We really want to stick to dry kibble and not get into the habit of putting canned or human food on top. I know him and us well enough to see that he will end up just eating the good stuff on top until the wife and I cave in and feed him only what he wants. Anyway. . . . I think Innova would be my first choice, but the best locally available food that is supposedly of high quality is Canidae. I was wondering what you folks thought of it. I'm concerned about 3 things: 1) what do you think about the meat sources all being 'meals' instead of whole meats? the website says that the only difference is water, but I have heard differently; 2) I thought white rice was a no-no; and 3) I know that this is an "all life stage food," but the protein and fat content seems a little high for adult food. Thoughts? Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Lamb Meal, Chicken Fat, (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbic Acid), Menhaden Fish Meal, Flax Seed, Sun Cured Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Lecithin, Brewers Yeast, Natural Flavors, Monosodium Phosphate, Choline, Linoleic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Ferrous Sulfate, Mixed Tocopherols (Source of Vitamin E) Zinc Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Manganous Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of B2), Yeast Culture, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Streptococcus Faecium Fermentation product, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Niacin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, D- Biotin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium, Iodate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Papain, Bacillus Subtilis, Aspergillus Niger, Yucca Schidigera Extract Guaranteed Analysis Crude Protein (min.) 24.00 % Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min.) .60 % Crude Fat (min.) 14.50 % Linoleic Acid (min.) 3.70 % Crude Fiber (max.) 4.00 % Vitamin E (min.) 200.00 IU/KG Moisture (min.) 10.00 % Amylase (min.) 950.00 BAU/ lb Omega-6 Fatty Acids (min.) 3.20 % Xylanase (min.) 136.00 XU/ lb

A dog, a horse, an owner and a cop sounds like the start of a funny story; it must have been quite a sight, but certainly not funny. Sorry to those pit owners out there looking for good press: Pit bull attacks S.F. police horse Cop, dog, pet owner hurt in Golden Gate Park [url]http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/11/24/BAGLV39DJD1.DTL[/url] A pit bull was shot, a cop and a dog walker were rushed to the hospital, and a police horse named "AAA Andy" was badly hurt but alive -- all this after a chance encounter between two animals on a crisp Sunday at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The chaos started at 12:50 p.m. as a young woman walked her black pit bull through the park near the Conservatory of Flowers. According to San Francisco police, she made an illegal and costly decision: She let the dog off its leash. Witnessing the move was police Sgt. David Herrera of the department's mounted unit. He shouted at the woman, ordering her to re-leash her canine, said Sgt. Neville Gittens, a department spokesman. That's when the dog turned its attention to Herrera's steed. The pit bull charged AAA Andy, ripping at the horse's flesh on its back legs and its rib cage, Gittens said. The dog's owner, whose name was not released, tried to intervene. That's when things got really bad. With the dog snapping away, AAA Andy threw Herrera to the ground. At about the same time, the dog's owner attempted to pull her pet away from the horse. But when she got close, AAA Andy kicked her in the face with a hind leg, Gittens said. She went down, joining Herrera. "Then the horse takes off running," Gittens said. AAA Andy galloped through the park along John F. Kennedy Drive, with the pit bull close behind. About a half-mile away, near the Eighth Avenue/Fulton Street entrance to the park, another police sergeant got involved. Sgt. Peter Dacre of San Francisco's Richmond Station had heard Herrera's radio calls for help. Seeing a park gardener and another citizen approaching the riderless AAA Andy, the uniformed Dacre climbed out of his car to help settle down the jumpy horse. "Then somebody shouted, 'That buggering dog is coming back!' " Dacre said. "The dog started having another go at the horse. I was between the horse and the dog, and I tried to kick (the dog)." It was no use. Dacre said he unholstered his .40-calibre semiautomatic Beretta pistol and ended the attack with two shots -- one of which struck the pit bull and sent it scurrying into nearby bushes. Both Herrera and the dog owner were rushed to St. Mary's Medical Center. Herrera went home in a few hours with back and neck injuries. The woman was treated for head injuries and a broken finger, Gittens said. Meanwhile, the dog survived the bullet wound and was picked up by Animal Care and Control. Its condition was unknown Sunday night. AAA Andy was being treated for puncture wounds late Sunday at the police stables in Golden Gate Park. Herrera, reached at home Sunday night, declined comment. Police will review the dog's history to see if it has ever been involved in other attacks. Then police will decide whether to cite or charge the dog's owner, Dacre said. "I think this just goes to the basic unpredictability of certain breeds of dogs," he said. "The dog was frenzied. The whole thing lasted about 45 seconds.''

As Michele said, when changing diets, especially with pups, you should do so VERY slowly. At 6 months we changed Miles over from puppy to adult food and we did it over the course of 2 whole weeks! We gradually increased the amount of new food while decreasing the amount of old. Gradually is the operative word. As for your pup's stomach problems now: Miles had a stomach problem a while back and someone recommended this method. It worked perfectly! I know it sounds harsh but you should fast your pup for 24 hours. No food, no treats, no nothing except to leave water available to her. After 24 hours feed a smallish meal of white rice and boiled, skinless chicken breast. By boiling the chicken you are getting rid of most of the fats and oils and plain white rice is a good, plain starch that has binding agents (good to stop the loose poop). We had never served Miles anything but kibble before the rice and chicken, and haven't served it since, but it worked like a charm, stopped the stomach and poop problems and got his appetite back in order. Couple questions for you: What puppy food were you feeding her, what adult are you trying to get her onto? What does this statement mean? "the first couple of days she seemed fine but I have to try evrey thing I can" Do you mean try everything you can in order to get her to eat? Good luck

If you never saw the parents or learned their weight and size, then there probably is no good way to estimate what size your guy will be. That being said, 4 1/2 pounds at 14 weeks seems to be on the small size to me. My Miles was 4 1/2 pounds when we first bought him at 12 weeks. He grew quickly to 10 1/2 pounds and then basically stopped. I don't think he has put on any wieght since reaching 11 pounds at 6 months. Kat makes a good point. The Shih Tzu standard is 9-16 pounds. That's what you want for a healthy dog. Don't buy into the tiny/teacup/imperial b.s., good breading and good health is paramount. By the way, what are you feeding him?

Miles is continuing to grow into a wonderful dog, he understands who his masters are and he has done really well with command training (sit, stay, down) and also trick training (wave, play dead, roll over). My problem is certainly not uncommon, but I don't know the first thing about combating it: Miles turns absolutely deaf to mine or anybody else's commands when there is another dog around. It happens with people too, especially children, but when there is another dog within visual range (and sometimes he just needs to hear one) I lose all control over him. He has such a love for all dogs, and he has been so well socialized and spends so much of his time running, playing and wrestling with his doggy friends, that he absolutely will not be denied [i]his[/i] right to run over to another dog to sniff, jump, wrestle, play, etc. Miles is not intimidated by size or demeanor, in his mind, a strange dog is a playmate he hasn't met yet. Not only is this dangerous (he is small and doesn't yet know that not all dogs love each other), it also shows me how much further we have to go in his training. Just yesterday Miles and I were walking when we came upon a small (maltese, bichon?). Miles went beserk. He isn't yappy, but he was crying and whining and occasionally barking, and, of course, struggling against his leash, because he wanted to run over to this dog. I gave him his sit command, his stay command, everything under the sun and he simply would not listen. I gave good, hard tugs on the leash but he wasn't detered. At one point I got him to sit by squeezing his back-end and forcing him down, REALLY HARD (I felt very bad for doing it but it got his attention), I then gave him the 'stay' command which he obeyed for a full 3 seconds before he was back up whining and straining against the leash to go meet this new dog. Please help me with some advice/reading/resources on how to better train Miles for these situations. I love that he is so friendly, but many times I would like to be able to walk past another dog or running adult or baby stroller without Miles [i]needing[/i] to meet and greet. It is also disheartening to me because it shows how all of the great training we do away from distractions falls apart in the "real world." Help!

I was going to suggest the same thing as Michelle. A dog such as my Miles (fluffy Shih Tzu with a flat face) literally soaks up half his water bowl in his face when he drinks. He comes away satisfied but also dripping wet. The wet face then proceeds to pick up every piece of dirt and grime and turn his white face black. We let him drink out of a bowl when we are around to dry his face, but the water that we leave out 24/7 is always in a water bottle (hamster cage thingy). He doesn't seem to mind. Many people who show their dogs use the water bottle method because it is SO much neater. I don't know if the ability to drink from a water bottle is something that needs to be taught though. Since Miles was born with a litter that was being groomed for showing, he was introduced to the water bottle well before we purchased him. It's worth a shot, maybe all Ben needs is to be shown that when he licks the funny metal thingy, water comes out, magic! Maybe putting something he likes on it (peanut butter, cheese, etc.) will prompt him to give it a lick and get the water. good luck

Hey Mugs, fellow Shih Tzu owner here. My first piece of advice is to sign onto this forum for real, you won't regret it. As soon as you do that, post some pics of your pup, few things in life are as cute as a Shih Tzu puppy. Couple of questions for you: the pup is 14 weeks now, how long have you had him? did he come from a breeder/pet store/rescue/other? do you have any other animals in your home? have you ever had a Shih Tzu before? You say that when he bites, "it's almost like he's being mean." A 'mean' 14 week old pup is a serious and uncommon thing and if he is truly being mean and aggressive, then I would follow Sanvean's advice. More than likely, the little guy isn't being aggressive, but he is playbiting and teething and also using those teeth to express his displeasure when you do something he doesn't like. Speaking of which, it sounds like you have tried to bath him a few times; how often are you doing it? Some poeple will disagree with the advice I give below, but it has worked with Miles and I stand by it. Kat had some good advice, your puppy needs to know that you are the boss and that means you control where he goes and what he does. I suggest handling and holding him as much as possible. Pick him up and hold him, when he squirms, nips or tries to get away, hold him tighter (you can also say 'settle' in a firm voice). When he settles, give him some verbal praise and loosen your grip a bit. This will show him that you are in control and squirming and writhing about will not bring about his desired result. Only when he is calm and collected will you let him go. Remember, it isn't about what he wants. Just because he wants down and will freak out in order to get there doesn't mean you will let that happen. Ignore the squirms, whines and bites (except to say 'settle'). He will give up. As for the biting, the best times to teach the puppy not to bite is when he is doing it in a playful way. These are the times when he gets most excited and energetic and wants your attention. By all means give it to him and get playful, but when he bites, THAT'S IT! When he bites, you yell 'OUCH' and end the play session. He needs to know the negative effects of his actions. If you stay around playing, then he won't associate the biting and you yelling 'ouch' as anything bad. There have to be repercussions. Most current training methods are all about praising a dog for doing good and never scolding, scaring or punishing. I agree with this to an extent, but sometimes you need to assert your dominance and show the puppy that his actions bring about results, and they aren't always good. Don't be afraid to raise your voice. A loud 'ouch' or 'no' that scares the puppy does more in terms of getting him to understand than a softly spoken word. A quick story: The last time Miles bit was about 2 months ago. We had gotten control of his nipping and playbiting and he knew that it wasn't an acceptable form of play. He still opened his mouth when we played and occassionaly went for a nip, but they were soft and I could tell that he was trying not to do it, but sometimes he just got so excited and was having so much fun that he lost control. One of these times we were rough-housing and rolling around and I got my face in his and he lunged. (sometimes this is a serious issue with dogs, but I know for a fact that Miles wasn't scared or aggressive, he was playing at his highest energy level and couldn't control his excitement) Anyway, when he lunged he ended up cutting me inside my nose and drawing blood. Well I lost it! I screamed 'No', pushed him away, hard, and gave him a smack on the nose. (before anyone freaks out, I do not advocate hitting and I had never done it before or since; but I was pis*ed!) Well I got his attention! Miles felt so bad and got really scared. For a full minute I switched between tending to my bleeding with my back to him, then I would face him and stare him in the eyes (not lovingly). After about two minutes, I let him off the hook, I layed down, called him over and we made up. Maybe it was the yell, maybe it was the smack, whatever it was, Miles has never nipped or bitten again. He learned that it was unacceptable and would bring about negative consequences. Wow, this post got long. I have more to say if you have further questions. Good luck. One final thing, about chewing on the furniture. Get bitter apple spray, it works. You see him gnawing on something he isn't allowed, a stern 'No' or 'leave it,' pull him off and offer him a toy. He'll learn.

I have no experience to speak from, but I agree with everyone else and I cannot imagine that a new puppy in house is any good for Sassy. It seems that what she needs right now is a lot of love and affection and, more importantly, her home where she feels comfortable and can recoup in her "safe" enviroment. Her world has been pretty much thrown into disarray and she needs as much of her old life and home environment back as possible. A young puppy is like a tornado; not the kind of thing you want in the same house as a dog recovering from a serious accident. Here's what you do: take a TON of pics of the puppy and post them; return the puppy; nurse Sassy and get her well; get the puppy back or get a new puppy; post more pics. Easy! :wink:

There are a ton of articles on the following website dealing with specific behavioral problems, including separation anxiety. Check them out. [url]http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/lib-prob.htm#sep[/url] Here are some tips from the Canines of the World Website: Plan Your Exit When it is time to leave, just leave. Do not say "Good bye" to your dog with hugs and kisses. In fact, ignore your dog for five minutes before you go. Paying too much attention will make your dog feel more insecure when the attention is abruptly withdrawn. Leave a Distraction Prepare a "Bye-Bye" bone. Purchase a sterilized; hollow bone from the pet store. Fill it with goodies such as dried liver pet treats, beef jerky, peanut butter, cheese or other things your dog really likes. Keep it hidden and take it out when you leave each day. Place it near your dog just before you close the door. When you arrive home, poke the goodies left in the bone out so your dog gets them. Then put the bone away. The bone only comes out when you leave. We are attempting to distract your dog with something that he will find interesting enough to concentrate on your leaving. Hopefully, he will appreciate the bone so much that he will look forward to it coming out in place of getting upset with your leaving. Confine Your Dog When You Are Away Confining your dog during your times of absence has two positive results. First, a dog who is confined to a carrier or crate cannot do damage to your home. Secondly, a crate, when properly introduced, will act as a safe, comfortable den where the dog can relax. Limiting his movement also acts as an anxiety reducer for most dogs. Leave the Radio On Tune a radio to a talk station, put it on in a room you are often in, the bedroom is usually a good choice, and close the door. The dog will hear the human voices from your room and may not feel so alone. I have had some clients tape record their own voices and play the recording in place of the radio program. Dogs know the sound of your voice all too well. And remember, since the dog is most anxious just after you leave, a one hour recording will most probably do. Practice This Training Routine With most dogs, the hardest time for them is immediately after you leave. Their anxious (and sometimes destructive) behavior occurs within the first hour after they are left alone. It will be your job to reshape your dog's behavior through reinforcement training. Leave your dog out of his crate, put your coat on, walk to the door and leave. Come back in immediately. Greet your dog calmly. Tell him to sit. When he does, reinforce this behavior with a food treat he enjoys. Wait a few minutes and then repeat the exercise, this time remaining outside a few seconds longer. Continue practicing leaving and returning over the next few weeks, always remembering to return, greet your dog calmly and command him to sit before offering a treat. Establish Your Leadership When a dog has a strong leader, it has a calming effect on him. He feels safe and taken care of. In the absence of a strong leader, your dog feels obligated to assume that position in the social hierarchy of the family pack. Since a leader must control all that goes on, his inability to control your leaving causes him stress and anxiety. I had a case with a male Lhasa Apso who would bite at an owner's leg each morning when she attempted to leave for work. He would exhibit dominant behavior to try to stop his owner from leaving which would then cause him stress which he wished to avoid. Obedience training is the best organized method of establishing yourself as a strong leader. Exercise Your Dog A dog who is lacking exercise is more likely to have stress and tension. Tiring a dog out with a long walk, run or with play goes a long way in reducing stress. Good luck.

I just wanted to give a follow up on this thread. NJ law says that the breeder has 120 days to get the papers to me, they were delivered yesterday, 117 days after the purchase. It took many phone calls, but luckily I never had to involve the AKC, ASTC or my legal skills. Miles will soon be an AKC registered pup. Go Miles!

Thanks for the replies. As you folks stated, the Tagamet injestion was a non-issue. He had no ill-effects that we could tell. Maybe he just needed some relief from acid reflux like his dad :D We are also of the opinion that he isn't experiencing separation anxiety. He doesn't carry on much when we leave or return, nor does he seem overly concerned when we walk out of a room. The problem is that he might have been bored or spitefull that we left him and that's not good. The day after his first destructive episode, he did it again when we left him for 3 hours. Ignoring all of the toys and fun things that we left with him (including a treat stuffed Kong which was almost empty when we got home), he decided to attack a thick wicker basket that he has always happily coexisted with. He ripped pieces off and chewed them into little bits, leaving tiny bits of wood and wicker all over the carpet. He also got ahold of another magazine to shred. We have absolutely no idea where he got the magazine from because we thought we removed them all after the first episode. Now I think that we have to remove some of his freedoms. Throughout the months we have had him, he gradually moved to being locked in his crate, to confined to the kitchen, then confined to the kitchen and den. Looks like it's back to just the kitchen for him for the time being. But here is the problem: does this sound like something he'll grow out of? After all, he is 7 months old and this supposedly means adolescence and testing our authority. Is there a way to help make sure that he doesn't experience boredom or anger? We always leave him with plenty of toys and chew things, but he seems to prefer the things HE KNOWS he isn't allowed to have. I am still absolutely amazed. When the wife and I are home, we can leave a magazine on the floor and he won't even notice it. We leave and that magazine gets turned to mulch. He is one spitefull little furball. Lucky he's so cute. . ..

Dogs falling ill and dying! :o [url]http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1497707[/url] San Francisco-AP -- A Canadian company has issued a pet food recall after several dogs died in California and more than a dozen other animals became sick. Petcurean Pet Nutrition is recalling all of its Go! Natural pet food products after receiving reports of illnesses in animals that ate their food. Officials of the Canadian company say they have heard of 14 dogs and cats in California falling ill, with seven of them dying. Go! Natural is touted in advertising as a top-notch product for dogs and cats that boasts one of the highest meat contents of any pet foods. A spokesman said the company is looking at one particular batch produced at a new Texas plant that may be responsible for the illnesses. The product is sold in the San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Seattle and Denver areas. (Stations: Consumers who have questions abut the recall can call Petcurean toll-free at 866-864-6112, Ext. 104.) Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Miles isn't usually left alone for more than 2-3 hours, but today we were forced to leave him for about 5 hours. Either he was bored or experiencing separation anxiety, but he did something he has never done in his 6 months with us: he tore the place apart! He pulled on this fabric thingy that lays on top of an end table and brought down some picture frames and a plant. Then, somehow, he got magazines and mail off of the coffee table (he is very small and I have never seen him even try to reach up to the coffee table). He proceeded to tear and chew apart everything he got off the table. The big problem is that in addition to mail and magazines, he got ahold of a packet of Tagamet :o (an over the counter acid reducer in pill form, similar to Pepcid AC or Prolosec). He chewed the heck out of it and now 2 1/2 200mg tablets are missing (eaten?). We called the vet and they advised that the Tagamet shouldn't pose much danger, but they did say to keep an eye on his breathing to make sure that there is no panting or labored/heavy breathing and also to take him in if he vomits. So far nothing as far as breathing or vomiting, but we are worried none-the-less. He is REALLY sleepy and didn't want any of his dinner, BUT, the dog walker told us that this morning he played with his pug friend and they ran and ran and ran. His tiredness could be related to that and there have been times where he was just too tired to eat. Is this one of those times or is it something he ate? Anybody know more about the effects of what he injested? Is this a sign of separation anxiety? Ahhhhhhhhhhhh :drinking: The wife and I are pretty anxious and it's hard not to be the over-protective parent and just take him to the vet, plus we want to punish him and let him know how bad he was, plus we want to punish ourselves for allowing the destruction and medicine eating happen at all. So pissed. . . . .

When we had Miles neutered a few months ago we were given the option of pre-op bloodwork for an additional $30. We were told that it was to test the function of various organs and it would indicate if Miles would have a problem with the anaestesia. We said yes simply because we were too scared that something would happen if we said no (that's how they get you!). Keep in mind that our place is a full service veterinary hospital (24 hour ER, surgery, oncology, dermatology, allergy, etc.) Expensive but great care.

Oh man, this is scary. That really is my wife. Worlds are colliding!!!!!! as for you, Amber, I don't recall ever admitting defeat. If my wife wanted to win an argument then she shouldn't have married a lawyer! Thanks for the wisdom Judy. You actually offer to cover 50% of the spay/neuter cost? That is impressive (and expensive). You ever breed Shih Tzus? I have to go now, my wife is making me get off the internet. :oops:

Thanks again Judy. After your post, and reviewing the AKC rules, I now see that I purchased Miles with a contract for limited registration WITH a neuter provision (I orginally thought that the neuter clause was part of the limited registration). Maybe it's the breeder that doesn't fully understand the essence of limited registration because, according to your description, there is no reason to only offer limited registration if you are agreeing to neuter anyway! BTW- Miles would like to chime in for a second. He'd like his balls back.

Judy: can you explain this statement to me. Why? "I would pursue getting a full registration. There is no reason for a neutered/spayed dog to be under a Limited Registration that I can see." He is definitely neutered now. No doubt about that! :lol: Also, New Jersey's Pet Protection Act refers to 'pet dealers.' Interestingly, 'pet dealers' are defined as any person who offers or sells more than 5 dogs or cats per year. I have no doubt that Miles' breeder fits that description. [edit - thanks Judy. it looks like we simultaneously posted]

Thanks for the very detailed reply Judy. Miles is now 7 months old and we do have a signed contract specifying the 'limited registration.' My concern was not that I wasn't right on this matter, I just didn't know if it was something that I should pursue. Now I see that this is a common practice by breeders whereas I thought it was simply a meaningless oversight. At this point, regardless of how happy we are with Miles, I am going to pursue the matter. Interestingly, this passage: 'It has long been common practice to explain the inability saying "AKC hasn't sent the papers yet."' is exactly what my breeder used as her excuse for the first three months of our ownership of Miles. 3 weeks ago that excuse was changed to 'we have everything now and it just went out into the mail.' The breeder's 120 day window (under New Jersey law) expires in 9 days. I will continue to leave voicemails and try to amicably rectify the situation for a few more days, then I will absolutely hit her and the AKC with the letter. Hopefully that will convince the breeder to make everything right. [edit: While it is true that I incorrectly believed that limited registration meant that Miles' could only be registered once he was neutered, it does not matter to me because I never intended to breed him anyway (and if I had wanted to breed him, it would be my fault for not fully researching the essence of 'full' versus 'limited' registration). Of course now that's a moot point because he is neutered. Regardless, I do not desire full registration, just the limited registration that I was promised]

Thanks for the replies (and helping me win the argument :wink: ) Frankly, sometimes it's difficult to tell if I'm being smart or just another a**hole lawyer. My wife usually thinks it's option 2 :o . It will be interesting to see how the breeder responds. . .

This argument/dispute/fight is between my wife and I: We purchased Miles in June 2003 from a breeder that was recommended to us by the American Shih Tzu Club. Miles and his siblings were advertised as being pure-breed shih tzus from champion parents and we purchased him under what we were told was a 'limited AKC registration contract,' meaning that we were agreeing to purchase him as a pet, not a show dog, and we agreed to have him neutered. This was fine with us because we wanted a pet, not a show dog or breeding dog. Miles has turned out to be better than we could have ever hoped for. His loving nature, trainability, look, temperament, etc. are absolutely perfect. Naturally, I can give credit where it is due and I know that a lot of what I love about Miles comes from thoughtful breeding. I have complimented the breeder in the past and would purchase from her again, except for this one problem: We were promised AKC registration papers and never received them. First we were told that she (the breeder) wouldn't give them until Miles was neutered. When that was done she said that she was waiting for certain information to come back about the father. Three weeks ago she said that the information was about to be put in the mail. Still nothing. We bought Miles in New Jersey, where they have a consumer protection law governing the sale of animals which states that if a pet dealer fails to provide advertised papers within 120 days of sale, then the purchaser can 1) return the pup for a full refund (absolutely NOT!), or 2) keep the pup and get a 75% refund. As Miles cost over $1,000, this is a significant sum. October 30 will be 120 days. So this is the fight. Miles is perfect, we are all happy and AKC registration does nothing for us or him. My wife thinks that we should ignore the pointless registration issue and not pursue this. I, on the other hand, think that a business person needs to stand by what they advertise and if the law provides a consumer remedy, why not pursue that remedy? I am not a litigious person (I am an attorney but I am a corporate transactional guy, no courtrooms for me) and I do not look for every way to sue somebody and squeeze every penny. The fact is that we paid a lot for Miles and I expect to get what was advertised. I have written a letter to the breeder (nicely) informing her of the missing papers and copying her on the NJ statute that offers us a remedy. My wife does not want me to send it. What do you think?

At what age is it appropriate to switch from puppy food to adult food? Miles is 7 months now and he has started to lose the taste for his food (puppy Wellness). We have been mixing a bit of adult Wellness in with his puppy food and now he only eats the adult. I know that puppy food is important for the added protiens and fat content, but as a toy breed he should be almost full grown now. Additionally, adult Wellness is known to be a good, healthy food, so I was wondering if there are any reasons to keep him on puppy?

Geez, what a WIMPY looking superdog! There's only room here for one superdog and I think it's pretty clear who fits that bill. Step aside. . . . [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0QwDZAjEU7bH4vPls6v1GXaJdTuna!IJN9kFNarqlODMPUXq!VTfB5eKJtiUdj1JhXK24vnQHnFZtcbDic9s3h9!jI4qApm1Er1Yj3sNtNE8/Superman1.jpg?dc=4675443046443999838[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0QwDVAjIUJrL4vPls6v1GXW0Ri4OOxGY3Y8MXaevOQjQ6Owv8kEOr0xTJMyMWeXd5RePriZ4IXHkJL8OJ3*hywoGOnmsPWjMAiTiYgGn8frQ/Superman2.jpg?dc=4675443046515778286[/img] and one more: [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0PwDTAqkShk0mVNV2GU9mAhNa5iuP2T5A9GlAVg2yOUfpHRClMFUB1hWZ2Y531BM9QartVAp7u*GMDc2O61cYLwnsNdsh1qfi/Devil.jpg?dc=4675443046573023837[/img] *please don't hurt us Taurus! :wink:

Like many on this board, my dog leads a truly blessed life, a life that few humans could match and one that I am truly jealous of. Interestingly, I am not sure if I'm doing more harm than good. . . Miles is now 7 months old. For the past 3 months he has had a pretty interesting weekday schedule: he wakes up with my wife and I, plays and eats. Then my wife drives him to our dogwalker's house (I know this is odd, but our dogwalker fell in love with Miles and, for just $5 over what she charges for a standard 30 minute walk, she takes Miles for the entire day - about 8 hours- and my wife picks him up after work. This dogwalker is also a behaviorist and trainer and for certain clients, she will even take a dog in for up to a week if the owners go away and don't want to board). While Miles is there, he plays with her dog and cat and whatever other animals she has that day. When she goes to make her walks, she either crates Miles, sometimes with another dog (in the BIGGEST, most comfortable crate ever), or sometimes she will even take Miles with her on the walks. Recently, a client with a young pug asked the walker if she had another smallish dog to play with the pug and help with socialization and tiring him out. With our permission, Miles now spends about 4 hours, 2 days a week, at the pug's house playing and romping under the pug's owner's supervision. Here comes my questions . . . We are really happy and lucky that we found this lady otherwise Miles would be spending up to 8 hours alone during the weekdays with only a 30 minute visit from a walker. Additionally, Miles is so well socialized and we also feel that he is learning a lot about appropriate dog/puppy behavior from the older dogs he hangs out with. We have 3 problems though: 1) This past weekend was a good example of the fact that Miles may be getting too used to having a playmate and getting attention ALL THE TIME. There were times on Sat and Sun when Miles looked and acted bored. He doesn't find so much joy playing alone with his toys like he used to and 2 times we even found him sitting by the door that we use to get into the garage and take him to the dogwalker's. Sometimes he just sat and stared at us as if to say "entertain me or take me to go play." Keep in mind that we did play with him, walk him and give him tons of attention, just probably not as much as he gets from his animal friends. Miles is an only-dog and if my wife stays firm, he will remain an only-dog. He will be spending large amounts of time alone, especially as he gets older and the daily cost of sending him to the walker's gets too big. Could it be a bad thing that he gets so much attention and playtime? Could he actually learn to dislike alone time? Could he get some form of doggy depression when we decide to cut back or remove him from this super-socialized schedule? 2) Is it possible for Miles to like the wife and I less than the walker? He is still happy and playful with us, but it looks to me that he rushes through breakfast (sometimes doesn't want it at all) so he can run down the stairs, jump into the car and get going. While I have never dropped him off, my wife says that he gets progressively more excited as they get closer and is beside himself with joy when she opens the door to let him out. Sometimes I wonder if he looks at our house as a place to eat and sleep instead of it being his home. 3) Finally, is there such thing as a dog getting too tired? Yesterday Miles played with the Pug for a few hours and from what I hear, they played and played and played and never rested except for a quick drink. He was so exhausted when he got picked up. For the first time ever, Miles did not get off our couch to greet me when I got hime from work. I was devistated :cry: He lifted his head, saw me, wagged his tail once, then went back to sleep. We woke him for dinner, he ate a tiny bit then found a comfy spot and went back to sleep. I woke him for a quick pee before bed and then he slept until morning. Basically, he slept from 5PM to 6:30AM. He woke up happy, rested and hungry. Not only was I unhappy that my 7 month old puppy didn't have the energy to play with me or EVEN SAY HELLO :evil: (can you tell that I am mad about that?), but I worry that it isn't good for him to do that much activity and get that tired. Is that something to worry about or should I be thankful that he gets to work out all of his puppy energy and is so happy about it? Basically, he seems to love his life and is the happiest, most well socialized dog I have ever met. But we are scared that he is getting it too good now so it will be a shock when the reality of his life hits home (probably when he turns 1). Do we wean him off this lifestyle now, or just let him enjoy himself as much as possible until we have to put an end to it? Are we going to need to retrain him to be able to happily be alone for many hours at a time? Shih Tzus are supposed to be low-maintenance apartment dogs that need very little excercise and adjust well to alone time. I worry that we are teaching him the wrong lessons, but he loves it so . . . . help. Thanks for reading. Sorry it's so long.

Cassie - I agree that you have to walk a fine line, and that you are probably better off in your position trying to educate and help people instead of recommending one type of food or putting down another. That being said, if people are being misinformed by the pet store owner, I'm sure they would benefit greatly if you 'suggested' looking at the ingredient lists of other foods and comparing the ingredients to what has been recommended to them. Here are the first 15 or so ingredients from a few highly regarded dog foods. I think that the differences are obvious between these foods and that Blue Seal (and, to a lessor extent, even the Sold Gold which, IMHO, is much better than the Blue Seal). Wellness: Deboned Chicken, Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Rye Flour, Menhaden Fishmeal, Whitefish, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Millet, Canola Oil (preserved with Rosemary, Vitamin C & E), Flax Seed, Amaranth, Dried Peas, Dried Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Whole Apples, Whole Blueberries, Whole Clove Garlic, Alfalfa Leaf, Yucca Schidigera, Probiotics. . . Natural Balance: Chicken, Brown Rice, Duck, Lamb Meal, Oatmeal, Pearled Barley, Potatoes, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols-a source of Vitamin E, Citric Acid, and Rosemary Extract), Natural Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Canola Oil, Brewers Yeast, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Dried Kelp, Salt, Parsley Flakes. . . Blue Buffalo (available at PetSmart): Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Rye, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid and Rosemary), Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Ground Flax Seed, Alfalfa, Herring Oil, Sea Salt, Barley Grass, Sunflower Oil . . . As you can see, these quality dry dog foods do not have unidentified meats or animal products, they do not contain corn, soy or wheat which are generally useless fillers and known to cause or irritate allergies and the first few ingredients are whole meats and grains (and most come in choices other than chicken). Looking at the above ingredients directly compared to the first few in Blue Seal: Poultry By-Product Meal, Ground Corn, Wheat Flour, Poultry Fat, should clearly show that there are obvious differences in quality of ingredients and those that really care about what they feed their pet (and if they are asking you, then they clearly care) should take notice and make appropriate changes. I'm sure you know that the three listed above are by no means the only foods with top-quality ingredients, but you aren't going to find any in the grocery store.